WealthTV Files Carriage Agreement Complaint Against Time Warner Cable, Inc.

WealthTV Files Carriage Agreement Complaint Against Time Warner Cable, Inc.

Time Warner's 'WealthTV light' forms basis of complaint, comes amidst controversy over the future of Carriage Agreement reform at the FCC

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Today WealthTV, a national lifestyle and entertainment cable channel available in high definition, filed a carriage agreement complaint against Time Warner Cable, Inc. (TWC) at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). (The full text of the complaint is available at: http://www.wealthtv.com/ under "News & Media") The complaint alleges that TWC unlawfully discriminated against WealthTV by refusing to carry the family- owned independent programmer or negotiate in good faith for carriage while granting carriage to its affiliated channel, MOJO. MOJO is substantially similar to WealthTV with respect to the series and programming it airs and is targeted at the same affluent male 25 to 49 audience demographic. MOJO is owned by TWC and other cable companies.

"Just as alleged in the complaint, TWC jawboned us while they studied our channel so they could copy it," said Robert Herring, Sr., CEO of WealthTV. "Once they saw its success, they stole our idea and created an inferior knock-off, MOJO, and launched that instead of WealthTV. It's more lucrative for them to carry their own channel than to give us a fair chance to reach the public."

WealthTV, which has carriage on over 75 video distributors from Verizon FiOS TV to Charter Communications, filed its complaint when it became clear that TWC intended to favor its own programming over independent programming and refused to negotiate in good faith.

"We'd rather work with TWC than bring this complaint, but they've left us no choice," said WealthTV President Charles Herring. "As TWC knows, viewers love our programming. We hope to get this resolved swiftly so that both we and TWC can turn back to what both companies want to do -- namely bring TV viewers great shows that entertain and educate in high definition."

WealthTV's complaint, one of only a handful of such complaints ever to be filed at the FCC, comes on the heels of the FCC indefinite postponement of reform of carriage agreement complaint procedures. The original agenda for the November 24, 2007 Open Meeting indicated that the Commission would adopt reformed rules for carriage agreement complaints. At the eleventh hour that item was pared down to only cover leased access rules reform.

About WealthTV

WealthTV is the premier lifestyle and entertainment network -- the destination for exclusive and original programming, simultaneously transmitted in high definition and standard definition. WealthTV delivers to viewers informative shows that provide invaluable insights on what every American dreams of -- from travel secrets to fast cars, from better etiquette to better investing, and much more. Televised 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, viewers of WealthTV consider themselves to be successful wherever they may be in life. The network fills a television vacuum by delivering intellectually stimulating, thought-provoking entertainment and always-unbiased news from an insider's perspective. For more information, please visit http://www.wealthtv.net/.

    WealthTV Contact:    Elizabeth Iverson    (858) 270-6900    Elizabeth.Iverson@wealthtv.net  

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: WealthTV

CONTACT: Elizabeth Iverson of WealthTV, +1-858-270-6900,
Elizabeth.Iverson@wealthtv.net

Web site: http://www.wealthtv.net/

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Profile: International Entertainment